Members of the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce visited Nashville, Tennessee, for a delegation trip.(Photo: Big Bend Minority Chamber)

On Friday, leaders from the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce (BBMC) and other local business and community leaders met with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Nashville Metro Schools representatives to take a deep dive into the Chamber’s history of successfully engaging business with K-12 education.

“This trip could not come at a better time for our Chamber, as we have created a program to adopt our local Title I Schools in Leon County. We will work with the School Board to financially contribute and support Title 1 Schools through our signature chamber events each year,” BBMC Interim President Antonio Jefferson said.

“The Nashville Area Chamber has been very effective in connecting the business community with local schools," he added. "So we believe that we can glean valuable insight into best practices to bring back to our Big Bend Region.”

Earlier this year, the BBMC rolled out an aggressive goal to financially support Title I Schools in Leon County using funds raised during the calendar year and beyond.

“Title I” is a federal designation that provides financial assistance to local educational agencies and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. In Leon County, we know that Title I Schools have a history of under-performance — including some schools with consistent failing grades.

“When our underprivileged and disadvantaged families drop their kids off at school, they should expect and receive the same high-quality education and environment that the rest of their community classmates enjoy,” said Sean Pittman, founder and chairman of the BBMC. “We know that some parents and guardians don’t have the means to support classroom supplies, field trips, renovations and extracurriculars, so our Chamber and membership have stepped up to help fill that gap.”

The BBMC’s trip will included an afternoon learning session and a dinner with the following Nashville representatives:

Sharon Gentry, chair of the Nashville Metro School Board

Ralph Schulz, Nashville Area chamber president

Donna Gilley, director of Nashville Academies

Samantha Perez, Nashville Area Chamber VP of Education Initiatives

Lee Harrell, Nashville Area Chamber VP of Policy

Emily Boylan, special assistant to the chamber president

Bob Kucher, VP of Partnerships and Programs, PENCIL

Melissa Jaggers, CEO, Alignment Nashville

Brian Brewer, CTE Coordinator, Metro Nashville Public Schools

The BBMC Delegation includes:

Sean Pittman, BBMC founder and chairman

Antonio Jefferson, BBMC interimpPresident

Darryl Jones, deputy director of Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprise Program at the Office of Economic Vitality & Leon County School Board Member